And I Thought My Family Was Weird
by Chibi Koneko
Summary: What if Sesshoumaru found Chibi-Chibi instead of Rin? And one day Pluto tells Usagi that she needs to retrieve Chibi-chan. Discontinued, but completely rewritten as Gravity.
1. Prologue: When in Uniform, It's Serious

Note: I'm re-uploading this with corrections. Hopefully the word usage, etc., is better this time around. I don't think the prolugue has many corrections though. Ah, well. You'll live.  
  
Disclaimer: I own my pajamas. I own my robe. I don't own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. I don't own Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale. I would like to have Sesshoumaru. Is anyone willing to give him away?  
  
Warnings: Sesshoumaru/Usagi. OOC-ness. Hopefully not the run-of-the-mill story. I HOPE it's original, but then again......  
  
Okay, it's been 3 years since Usagi defeated Chaos. Chibi-Chibi was actually her second daughter (please don't kill me!!). When she went back to the future, she was separated from Chibi-Usa. Because Pluto is the Guardian of Time, it IS possible that three years past for Usagi and the senshi when only about a month passed for Chibi-Chibi and those she is traveling with. Get it? Good. Hope so, anyway.  
  
Ages: who cares? *sigh*  
  
Chibi-Chibi: 3  
  
Usagi: 19  
  
Sesshoumaru: c'mon, he's a demon!! He's old.  
  
Jaken: Do you REALLY wanna know? 'Cuz so do I. ^___^  
  
Pluto: It's not polite to inquire about a lady's age, y'know. (iow, she's OLD)  
  
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And I Thought My Family Was Wierd  
  
Prologue: When in Uniform, It's Serious  
  
***********************  
  
Sesshoumaru walked in the early morning twilight through the quiet forest, appearing to be alone. Several crashes through the underbrush, however, proved this observation wrong. Loud screeches could be heard, breaking the quiet nature of the forest.. If Sesshoumaru had been human, he would have rolled his eyes. Demon pride, however, (AN: more like male ego) stopped him. Instead, he merely scowled at the toad-like imp crawling from the bushes.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru! How could you leave me alone with that-- that thing?"  
  
Sesshoumaru's voice was coldly amused. "Are you afraid of a female human child, Jaken?"  
  
"N-no, my Lord. It's just that the creature is so disgusting!"  
  
"That's enough, Jaken."  
  
The source of Jaken's irritation came through the bushes Jaken had pushed out of his way. "Chibi!" she said. Sesshoumaru's features softened slightly. He had given up trying to teach her to properly talk a long time ago, and he knew that he would never be able to understand her. When he had asked the child her name when they had first met, she had answered, "Chibi!" So she became Chibi-Chibi. She certainly answered to it well enough.  
  
"Are you hungry, Chibi-Chibi?" The young girl nodded eagerly, her silver tresses swaying around her with the movement; her original heart odangos had fallen out long ago, and she could not fix them for some reason.  
  
Sesshoumaru glanced at Jaken, who sighed and began to fix breakfast for the girl. Sesshoumaru inwardly frowned. 'If anyone tries to take her away, I will tear him limb from limb.' It was a thought that Sesshoumaru had frequently.  
  
Little did he know that it would not be a "him" who would come for the young girl....  
  
************************  
  
Usagi sighed. She really needed a break soon, some sort of vacation. She and Mamoru had broken up three weeks ago. Seiya was back from Kinmoku-sei not even four days later. She jumped as she suddenly felt Sailor Pluto's presence right behind her. "Don't do that, Pluto!" she exclaimed.  
  
Sailor Pluto concealed a smile. "As you wish, Serenity-hime."  
  
"Pluto...." Usagi growled.  
  
Pluto smiled and nodded. "Just keeping in practice," she replied blandly. At Usagi's look, she quickly added, "Usagi-chan."  
  
Usagi nodded her approval. "So who's in trouble, Pluto?" She laughed at Pluto's startled look. "You only show up in your sailor fuku when something's wrong," Usagi reminded her.  
  
Pluto collected herself. "Hime, there's something you need to know." Usagi became very alert at her words. "Chibi-Chibi did not go back to the future. She ended up in another dimension that is very closely connected with this one. It's a bit like an alternate past instead of an alternate future."  
  
"And you need me to go and find her?" Usagi inquired.  
  
Pluto nodded and said, "You will need to stay there for three months, until the harvest moon. There is something that you must do there, and it will take you that long. Chibi-chan is traveling with two demons. Stay and travel with them."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"We need to change your clothes," Pluto responded, "but I can do that after we get there."  
  
"Alright, let's go then."  
  
**************************  
  
Sailor Pluto and Usagi reappeared in a forest. Usagi was wearing a short kimono-like garment with no sleeves. She also had no shoes.  
  
"And what," Usagi demanded, "am I supposed to do in winter? It's already the end of summer now, and it's not exactly warm during harvest, you know!"  
  
Pluto chuckled. "Don't worry about that, hime. You have other things to worry about." She hit Usagi on the back of the head with the Garnet Rod. "I am sorry about this, hime," she apologized as Usagi crumpled to the ground. In a small flash of light, Sailor Pluto was gone.  
  
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Sorry it's so short, but remember that it's a prologue. The REAL story starts when Sesshoumaru and Usagi meet. How will Chibi-Chibi react? Stay tuned to the next episode of........ no, it's not Dragon Ball Z!...... And I Thought My Family Was Wierd!!!!! (my family IS wierd.....)  
  
And remember that in my family, insults are taken as compliments, compliments are compliments, and constructive criticism is the one way to get me to change my story (if I'm wiling to change it at all....).  
  
R/R for me to continue, please!!   
  
Koneko 3 


	2. An Unexpected Guest

Note: Once again, this is with a few revisions. Word usage is better, but the plot and events are the same. Just reread if you're bored enough and tell me if you notice it to be any better. I don't think there are very many in this, but you make think otherwise. Thank you.  
  
Lily: *ahem* We are Koneko-chan's muses. We will be presenting this chapter due to the fact that Koneko is currently sobbing. She is unconsolable right now. She's actually supposed to be doing her homework right now though. Right, D-kun?  
  
Draco: Hnn.  
  
Lily: *unfazed* What he really said was, "That's right, Lil." ^____^ Please don't forget to R/R to keep us going! That's right, *us*. Reviews are our food. Stop feeding us and we won't be able to help Koneko-chan. Get it? Good. Then let us begin!  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Lily: I'm going to read the disclaimer that she left for us. *reads* Koneko does not own Inu-Yasha or Sailor Moon. If she did, then she would be able to afford to hire better muses that don't get on her case when she complains about school and her orthodontist.... Hey, wait a minute. Grrrr....  
  
Draco: *smirk*  
  
Lily: Shaddup, Draco.  
  
Draco: ........ *corners of mouth twitch* (Translation: Yes!! She finally told me to shut up!! Now she can't nag me when I don't talk! *hallelujah*)  
  
Warnings:  
  
Lily: OOC-ness for Fluffy-chan courtesy of Usagi. Cuteness courtesy of Chibi-Chibi. Idiocy courtesy of Jaken. *looks up from reading* In other words, just your run-of-the-mill stuff. Enjoy!  
  
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And I Thought My Family Was Weird  
  
Chapter One: An Unexpected Guest  
  
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Chibi-Chibi stopped suddenly while they were walking through the forest. "What is it, Chibi?" Sesshoumaru inquired. She appeared to be.... shaking? 'Is she afraid of something? But it also resembles..... excitement.....' As suddenly as she had stopped, she broke out into a run. Startled, Sesshoumaru went after her. Jaken grumbled something like "baka human" and went after them.  
  
Chibi-Chibi stopped in a small clearing. There was a girl – no, a woman – lying face down in the middle of it. Chibi-Chibi turned to Sesshoumaru and pointed to the fallen young woman. For some reason he could not decipher, Sesshoumaru understood what she was trying to say and walked over to the woman. He kneeled at her side and gently turned her over, placing her head carefully in his lap. He almost gasped when he saw her face. 'She's.....' his thought trailed off. He could not complete it.  
  
Her skin was tan, and her eyelashes were lying darkly on her skin. Her silver hair was the exact shade of Chibi-Chibi's. "Usagi," Chibi-Chibi stated matter-of-factly. Then she laughed. "Usagi!" she exclaimed again. Jaken gaped at the young girl in amazement.  
  
"We'll take this woman with us," Sesshoumaru decided.  
  
"B-but my Lord!" Jaken stuttered. "She's a human!"  
  
Sesshoumaru softly replied, "She's coming with us, Jaken." He stood up with the moon princess in his arms. For some reason, it felt like she belonged there. Sesshoumaru frowned. 'Jaken is correct, however. She is human. I cannot become attached.' Then he thought of Chibi-Chibi and how attached he had become to the mysterious little girl. 'Well, it's too late to say that about Chibi-chan..... Ah, well.' Sesshoumaru decided to worry about it after he had gotten the young woman to safety. 'What did Chibi-Chibi call her again? No, I'll think about that after she wakes up.'  
  
*******************  
  
Usagi awoke to find herself in some sort of bedroom. The "bed" was a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor, but it was very comfortable. 'Where am I?' She groaned as her memory came back. 'You had better have a good explanation for this, Pluto! Or your Garnet Rod is mine for a month!' She inwardly smirked at this thought. A deep, rich voice interrupted her gloating.  
  
"How are you feeling?" it asked. Usagi turned over and winced at the pain in her head. 'That hurts, Pluto.' Usagi then got a good look at the owner of the voice. 'Bishounen.....'  
  
She smiled at him and answered, "I'm feeling alright, thank you. Did you bring me here? And while we're on the subject, where is here?"  
  
Sesshoumaru smiled back at her – that is, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "Yes, I brought you here. I am Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands. This is my castle."  
  
'He sounds almost like he's bored. Well, we'll see about that. I'll get him later, though. I've got to find Chibi-Chibi first.' She gave him her best smile and thanked him for his kindness and hospitality. Sesshoumaru was going to say something when he was interrupted by a small silver blur that whizzed through the room and attached itself to Usagi. Usagi blinked. "Chibi-Chibi?" A familiar face looked up at her. "It is you! But what happened to your hair? It used to be that pink color....."  
  
Chibi-Chibi then began to spout off into an explanation, which sounded a bit like "chibichibi chibi chibichibi!" Usagi, however, listened intently and nodded occasionally, while Sesshoumaru stared. Jaken came in the door.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru, why is that girl talking to that other human? And why does it seem like she can understand that rubbish the girl is saying?" Sesshoumaru ignored him, mainly because he did not understand himself. He did know one thing, however – this human was never going to take Chibi-Chibi away from him. He would kill this new human first. Suddenly he felt a strange tightening in his chest. 'It almost seems like I don't want to kill her because I have an emotional attachment to her, but that's impossible. I haven't even known her for five minutes!' While Sesshoumaru was coming a bit more out of his emotional constipation (AN: I got that "emotional constipation thing from Disney's Tarzan. I don't own that either.), Chibi-Chibi was telling Usagi everything that had happened. Here's the translation:  
  
"I got separated from oneesan in the time stream. I ended up in a village here. The townsfolk didn't like me very much. I had Luna P, so I used her to make the villagers believe I was an orphan and my parents were killed by demons. I found Sesshoumaru in the woods one day and decided to help him. The village was destroyed by wolf demons shortly after that. I was attacked, but Sesshoumaru saved me." Chibi-Chibi looked Usagi in the eye. "It was after he saved me that my hair changed color. He just figures it was an aftereffect of using Tenseiga, his sword. It has healing powers."  
  
Usagi nodded, absorbing all the information. Then she began to speak in Lunarian so Sesshoumaru and Jaken would not understand her. "We have to leave in three months, Chibi-chan, but we're going to travel with them until then." Chibi-Chibi nodded. Usagi then turned to Sesshoumaru. "Thank you for saving Chibi-chan. It means a lot to me. Can I ask one favor of you?" Sesshoumaru nodded. "May I also travel with you? I don't have anywhere else to go."  
  
Sesshoumaru internally sighed in relief. 'She won't be taking Chibi-Chibi away, and I won't have to kill her!' Sesshoumaru began to feel happy, which was absurd. Instead of thinking about that thought, he replied to her, "Just don't slow us down, human."  
  
Usagi smiled her thanks. "And my name is not human; it's Usagi."  
  
'Usagi.... it suits her well,' Sesshoumaru thought. "Very well, Usagi."   
  
Jaken gaped at them. 'Lord Sesshoumaru is treating this human like an equal! I must keep an eye on her.....'  
  
*****************  
  
The quartet had set out the next day. They had covered a lot of ground, even with the extra human along. Sesshoumaru frowned. By the end of the day, Chibi-Chibi was usually in his arms, exhausted. Today, however, she was with Usagi. Usagi clutched the sleeping young girl closer to her. Sesshoumaru began to feel an emotion swell in him. It was the same emotion he felt when he remembered that his father gave the greatest of all swords to the half-breed – jealousy. 'I am Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands. I should not be jealous of a beautiful human female over a human child. Wait! Beautiful? Where did that come from?!'  
  
Usagi internally winced. She could feel Sesshoumaru's emotions, and she did not like what she felt. 'Why would he be jealous of me?' Then she looked down at the young girl sleeping in her arms. 'Oh.' She breathed in deeply and made a decision.  
  
"Sesshoumaru?" His head turned toward her, showing that he was listening. "Would you mind taking Chibi-Chibi? I think I'm still a bit worn out from the other day." Sesshoumaru nodded slightly and reached out to take Chibi-Chibi. He was interrupted, however, by a menacing laughter.  
  
Sesshoumaru growled. "Naraku," he spat out. Usagi's eyes widened at the hatred in Sesshoumaru's voice and gripped Chibi-Chibi even more tightly. 'There are serious negative vibes coming from that person.' She almost winced at the darkness surrounding the unseen newcomer.  
  
A man in a baboon suit suddenly appeared in front of them. "Well, well, if it isn't Sesshoumaru. I see you've collected even more rubbish," he said, glancing at Usagi. "Where on earth do you manage to find all this garbage? I thought you were above humans."  
  
Sesshoumaru glared at him before replying softly, "I don't recall that ever being your business, Naraku. Why are you here?"  
  
Naraku laughed. "You're right; it is none of my business. However, you should know that demons don't like it when other demons mingle with humans. It might be difficult fighting all of them off. How about using a Shikon shard to protect these precious humans of yours?" Wolves could be heard howling in the distance. "The leader of the Youkai-Wolf Tribe has three shards. Will you be able to fight him off?"  
  
Sesshoumaru did not answer the hanyou in front of him. His mind was on Chibi-Chibi and Usagi instead. 'They must get to safety, but how?'   
  
Naraku seethed. He was not used to being ignored, especially after going through such trouble to taunt Sesshoumaru into doing something rash. He glanced at the humans. 'They look a good bit alike... Are they related somehow? No matter. If Sesshoumaru will not answer to my words, then he will have to answer to their deaths!' At this thought he lunged at Usagi.  
  
Usagi stared at the hanyou coming at her. At the last minute, she dodged. Usagi winced as she felt his claws in her flesh. Blood dripped down her shirt. Chibi-Chibi woke up at the sudden movement. She stared at Usagi's blood. A large puddle was collecting around her on the ground. "Chibi!" she cried.   
  
Usagi glanced down at her. "Shhh," she soothed, "everything will be alright." She shielded Chibi-Chibi as Naraku tore at her again. Usagi gritted her teeth, but she did not cry out. She would not give Naraku the pleasure of hearing her scream, even when he attacked her again.  
  
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Sailor Pluto winced as she saw the image in front of her. "I am truly sorry, hime, but this must happen in order for you to be happy." She sighed. 'It's necessary,' she assured herself. 'If I didn't doubt my own judgement, then I'd feel better about this.'  
  
A voice interrupted her musings. "How is she doing, Setsuna?"  
  
Sailor Pluto turned to face Queen Serenity. "He is watching her, your Majesty, and he is becoming angry at Naraku. It will not be long now."  
  
Queen Serenity nodded, looking down at the image. "I hope you're right, Setsuna, and I hope that those Fates know what they're doing to them."  
  
Pluto followed her gaze. "Me too, your Majesty. Me too."  
  
***********************  
  
Chibi-Chibi cried out when she heard the wolves; they had howled again, and they were even closer this time. Jaken was quivering behind a tree, and Sesshoumaru was fighting Naraku. 'How dare he harm either one of them?! When I get through with this piece of hanyou trash..... And then I'll deal with that wolf-youkai. His wolves were the ones that hurt Chibi-chan; I can smell it. They will all pay.' His mind wandered to the beautiful young woman who had protected Chibi-Chibi with her life. Sesshoumaru could smell her sweet-scented blood, and that made him even angrier. Naraku would pay – painfully.  
  
***********************  
  
Lily: So how was that? Good, bad, ugly, horrendous? Amazing? I don't know about the last one, but review and tell Koneko-chan what you think!  
  
Draco: Hnn. *glare* (Translation: Or else.)  
  
Lily: Exactly as Draco said. Well, what are you waiting for? Review, review, review!! (Koneko-chan is too modest to do this herself, so she asked us to. *sweatdrop*)  
  
Draco: ........hnn. (Translation: Come back next time! And don't forget to read Koneko's other story, Complicated.)  
  
Lily: Koneko started school on Thursday, and that is why this is so short. She apologizes and will try to have the next chapter out very soon.  
  
Draco: *glare* (Translation: So flame her about it and omae o kuroso!)  
  
Lily: I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you and come again! 


	3. If I Should Die Before I Wake

– Once again, this chapter has been fixed. Small errors that I noticed and word usage are better now. And, once again, the changes are small – nothing major has been changed. You may not notice differences at all. Just as long as you enjoy!!  
  
Hello everyone!! Well, I'm not dead, contrary to the rumors that my good-for-nothing muses are spreading around.... Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter!!  
  
Special thanks to random crazy person. *hugs Best Author Award* You're the best, especially since you think that I'm also the best..... ^^  
  
Lily: The Best Muse Award was given to me!!  
  
Draco: Hnn. (Trans: You're obviously delusional. You talk to much too be given an award like that.)  
  
Lily: Oh yeah, dragon breath??  
  
*sweatdrop* I'll just let those two duke it out. I'm betting on Draco to win. Any other takers? I'll give you a chapter early if you win the bet......  
  
Disclaimer: My psychiatrist says that I don't own these two anime. I keep trying to tell him that Takeuchi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko are two of my other personalities ('cuz I suffer from multiple personality disorder), but does he believe me? Nooooo.... Darn.  
  
Ages:  
  
Kagome: 15  
  
Sango and Miroku: 18  
  
Shippo, Inu-Yasha, Naraku: They're demons; how should I know?  
  
Kaede: about 60. She was about 10 when Kikyo died (I'm estimating), and it's been 50 years.  
  
Everyone else: Go to Prologue or Chapter One (can't remember which).  
  
Warnings: None that I can think of. A bit of OOC-ness for Fluffy, but no worse than earlier chapters.  
  
Taitsukun is the guardian of The Universe of the Four Gods in Fushigi Yuugi. I don't own her, and I don't own the Nyan-Nyans if they happen to show up in future chapters. They will only make cameo appearances.  
  
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And I Thought My Family Was Weird  
  
Chapter Two: "If I Should Die Before I Wake...."  
  
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Usagi winced. The walking she had done all day was finally catching up with her. Of course, the wounds across her back and down her side might have had something to do with the pain. Well, whatever it was, Usagi did not like it. Chibi-Chibi was crying, Sesshoumaru was fighting Naraku, and the wolves were coming closer. According to Chibi-Chibi, they were the same wolves that had attacked her earlier.  
  
A crash made Usagi come back from La-La Land. Sesshoumaru had just been slammed into a tree. Naraku turned toward Usagi, and his grin could only be considered sinister. "It's time to die, sweetheart."  
  
Usagi would have rolled her eyes if she thought she had enough energy. She decided to save that energy to reply, "So sorry to disappoint you, honey, but I've got too much left to do in this world to die." Usagi breathed in deeply, preparing herself to attack. She never got the chance to even gather energy though because an unfamiliar voice interrupted her.  
  
"Not so fast, Naraku!"  
  
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Kagome's bicycle cruised to a stop. Her brow was furrowed, and she looked a bit confused. Sango came up behind her. "What is it, Kagome?"  
  
Kagome did not glance up, but she answered, "I sense jewel shards nearby. There are so many that it must be Naraku, but something's different. The jewel shards seem to be attempting to purify themselves while in his possession, but that seems impossible." Her head jerked up. "It's Sesshoumaru; I'm sure of it. He's fighting Naraku somewhere nearby – probably in the forest." She began pedaling her bike again. "We should probably hurry. I don't think that Sesshoumaru is going to last much longer."  
  
Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and Sango all exchanged looks that clearly said, "Why is she worried about Sesshoumaru?" Then what she had said totally sank in. 'Naraku!' they all thought at the same time. They hurried to catch up with Kagome and Shippo in the Western Forest.  
  
They entered a clearing. Sesshoumaru was leaning against a tree, trying to catch his breath. He looked like he was in pretty bad shape. Jaken was just standing there like the idiot he is, gaping at everything. A young woman was on the ground, shielding a little girl that looked a lot like her. Naraku was giving them a look that could only be described as blood lust.  
  
The young woman stood up off the ground and seemed to be concentrating on something. Kagome pulled out her bow, readied an arrow, and shouted, "Not so fast, Naraku!" Kagome released the arrow, but he managed to dodge it in time. Naraku turned to attack Kagome and Company when wolves broke through the line of trees and into the clearing. Kouga followed them.   
  
After seeing how outnumbered he was, Naraku growled and disappeared. The young woman fainted. The little girl screamed, "Usagi!"  
  
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Had Sesshoumaru been anyone else, he would have been pacing – well, if he was anyone else and did not have the injuries that he did. Thanks to Usagi, Chibi-Chibi had escaped without scathing; she was only a little shaken up. Actually, Chibi-Chibi was more afraid for Usagi than of the wolves that had accompanied them back to Kaede's village, and she did not seem very frightened for the young woman's safety anymore. Instead, she and the kitsune had found out that they + Jaken + head staff = Monkey in the Middle (Feudal Era Style). Sesshoumaru decided that it should become an official sport. It really was quite amusing.....  
  
The opening of a door brought Sesshoumaru back to reality. Two weary mikos, Kagome and Kaede, walked out of the room. Well, it was waddling in Kaede's case. Chibi-Chibi immediately appeared in front of them. "Usagi?" she asked anxiously.  
  
Kaede gave her a weak smile. "The lass will be just fine, child. All she needs now is rest." After hearing this, Sesshoumaru relaxed. 'She will be alright. That is all I needed to know – after all, she protected Chibi-Chibi with her own life when I should have been watching more carefully.'  
  
Chibi-Chibi brightened even more at Kaede's words. She glanced at Shippo, and they both looked at Jaken, who immediately ran away while clutching the staff of heads very close to him. Chibi-Chibi and Shippo giggled and high-fived each other.  
  
Kouga was hitting on Kagome, Miroku was hitting on Sango, and Inu-Yasha was trying to decide who to kill first. Since Sango was already chasing after Miroku with his own staff, Inu-Yasha decided to destroy Kouga first. 'Who is this mutt to chase after Kagome? And what does she think she's doing? She's practically encouraging him for crying out loud! Grrr....' With that thought, Inu-Yasha immediately attacked Kouga, only to have the most horrible word in existence shouted at him. "Osuwari!" Inu-Yasha immediately hit the ground, and Sesshoumaru tuned their argument out. It was always the same argument, and he could probably recite what they were going to say word for word.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama," a voice called. Sesshoumaru turned to face Kaede. "Will ye watch over Usagi? I think she would prefer a familiar face, and I don't think that the imp would count." By way of answering, Sesshoumaru went to the door, opened it, and walked into the room. He sat next to Usagi's still form. Sesshoumaru had known that she was in bad shape, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.  
  
Usagi's skin was pale because she had lost so much blood. Since many of Usagi's injuries were on her back, she was lying on her stomach. He could see long streaks in her back from where the blood had seeped through the bandaging. She had one long cut along her left side and the blood from it was also going through the cloth. Her face was contorted, as if she was having a nightmare. Sesshoumaru gently pushed the hair out of her face. 'I promise you that I will never let anyone hurt you again. I swear this on my honor as Lord of the Western Lands and as a man. I will protect you.' Usagi murmured slightly at his touch, and then she smiled. Sesshoumaru could not help but smile back at her.  
  
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Sesshoumaru, feared Lord of the Western Lands, growled. It had been two weeks. Even though her wounds had completely healed, which was unusual, Usagi had not woken up. Wounds like that generally took at least a month to entirely heal for a human. It might take three days for a youkai, but it depended on what breed. Sesshoumaru's wounds had entirely healed in at most a day and a half. However, even humans would have woken up by now. Chibi-Chibi did not seem to be worried, so Sesshoumaru never actually threatened the hag or Inu-Yasha's wench because of Usagi's condition. If Chibi-Chibi said everything was alright, then Sesshoumaru was going to believe her. If he did not, then Sesshoumaru would have probably destroyed the entirely village already out of frustration. As things stood, he was very tempted to do so.  
  
Chibi-Chibi was not helping either. He had caught her saying a poem and had confronted her about it. "Where did you learn to speak that?"  
  
Chibi-Chibi smiled. "Usagi."  
  
Sesshoumaru frowned. "Repeat it again. I couldn't hear you earlier. You say Usagi taught it to you?"  
  
Chibi-Chibi nodded and began to recite, "As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked startled for once. "Why does she say that?"  
  
Chibi-Chibi merely sighed and left, leaving Sesshoumaru to ponder her words. 'Why would Usagi say such a thing to a small child? Unless she did not know Chibi-chan was listening......'  
  
Sesshoumaru glided back into Usagi's room, causing Kagome to look up. She nodded at him and left the room, seeming to understand what was going on in his mind. Sesshoumaru scowled. 'Is she trying to give me privacy, or is she trying to avoid from telling me something? It doesn't matter anyway. I only care because she saved Chibi-chan.' Sesshoumaru's dark look grew. 'I only hope that she wakes up soon.....'  
  
Sesshoumaru took his usual place beside Usagi and placed his large hand around her tiny one. Somehow Sesshoumaru's left arm had healed. He had woken up one morning about a week ago to find that his arm had completely grown back. Sesshoumaru was not going to complain, but he would have liked to know what had caused it to regenerate. There were so many questions and no answers.  
  
******************************  
  
Sailor Pluto smiled. 'Things are going according to plan. Her Majesty will be pleased.' Pluto frowned when she thought of the Shikon no Tama. 'I suppose we'll have to deal with that problem when it comes. They will have to fight Naraku anyway, so that will help with that particular problem. Of course, they don't really have all that much time to defeat him and put the Shikon no Tama back together. The jewel will be purified, however. I have no doubt of that.'  
  
*****************************   
  
Usagi was floating. It seemed that she was in a place where spirits could reside, but no physical forms or objects could exist. "Where am I? Is this a dream?"  
  
"Yes, your Highness."  
  
Usagi immediately became alert. "Who are you, what do you want, why am I here, and how did I find this place? I know that this is no ordinary dream."  
  
"You are much more brilliant than Endymion said. I thought that you were an unlettered country oaf with no clue from his descriptions. But then again, Endymion was always one to exaggerate."  
  
Usagi felt very irritated at the nameless voice. She decided to voice her questions from a different approach. "Do you want to tell me your name, or should I just call you Fred – or perhaps Billy Bob?"  
  
The nameless voice chuckled. "Just know that you and I will meet again, my little bunny. Until then, adieu."  
  
*****************************  
  
Usagi jerked awake. 'Did anyone get the number of that semi?' she thought dazedly. Then she realized something was holding her down. She turned her head toward the weight on her right side only to find Sesshoumaru. She smiled slightly. 'How long have I been out? His wounds seem to have healed, so it must have been at least a few days. I wonder how long he's been with me.....' Letting her thoughts trail off, Usagi smiled softly at Sesshoumaru's slumbering form and promptly went back to sleep.  
  
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and gazed at her. 'So she finally woke up. I'll have to bring Chibi-Chibi in here tomorrow to see her...' As Sesshoumaru drifted back into the dream world, the smile on his face matched the one Usagi wore.   
  
In the heavens above, Queen Serenity and Inutaisho watched their children interact with knowing smiles on their faces. The Fates were high-fiving each other. Sailor Pluto was smirking. 'I knew that you'd find true love with Sesshoumaru..... Taitsukun owes me a good amount of long foot massages!'  
  
********************************  
  
Miroku inched closer toward Sango's bed with a not-so-nice look on his face. It's too bad that Sango cannot use "Osuwari!" for him the same way Kagome uses it for Inu-Yasha. After a few tries at groping and a few whacks to his head, Miroku calmed down a bit. Well, it was as calmed down as Miroku can get.  
  
Miroku rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Did you have to hit me so hard, Sango-san?"  
  
Sango glared at him. "I hit you harder than usual so perhaps you could immediately get all of that out of your system and we could talk about what to do."  
  
Miroku nodded. "Do you think that Sesshoumaru will help us defeat Naraku? I know that he is very protective of that little girl, Chibi-Chibi, and Usagi-sama protected her with her life. Sesshoumaru feels as if he is in her debt now, and he may feel the same way about us. After all, it was Kagome's arrow that saved Usagi-sama and Chibi-Chibi."  
  
Sango agreed with Miroku for once. "I think that he will at least stop trying to kill Kagome, and perhaps that will affect his temperament toward Inu-Yasha as well. Of course, Sesshoumaru will most likely continue to bait Inu-Yasha, and Inu-Yasha isn't exactly known to have the best temper in the world. On top of all that, Kouga is here. Kouga and Sesshoumaru are only lower than Naraku on Inu-Yasha's "People I Hate That I Have Yet to Kill" list. (AN: Modern-day "Hit and Run" list.)  
  
Miroku sighed. "I guess we'll just have to play it by ear, won't we?"  
  
Sango replied, "I suppose so, but I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't put your hand there."  
  
Miroku grinned. "What about here?"  
  
The forest resounded with the sound of the blow Miroku received. The animals quickly went back to whatever they were doing, and the people did not even stir. They were all used to Miroku's "attacks" on Sango and her retaliation by then.  
  
*********************************  
  
Well, that's it for this chapter. It's a bit longer than the Prologue and Chapter One. Ain't I so very nice? ^^ R/R por favor.  
  
Koneko 


	4. Emotional Constipation Again

Note: This one has about three things changed, and none of it's important, so read only if you want to. Thank you.  
  
Woohoo! Yet another chapter for my most popular story!! *all give applause* *bow* Thank you, thank you, you've been a great audience.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned these anime, would I be writing a disclaimer? More importantly, would I be writing on FanFiction.net? I think not. I don't own the majority of characters, which come from Inu-Yasha and Sailor Moon, and I don't own the minority, which come from Fushigi Yuugi (Taitsukun, Nyan-Nyans, Tamahome, Miaka,) and Gundam Wing (Hiiro and Ririna). The "bubblehead" idea comes from Wish. The Fates come from some mythology (Greek, I think). So all I have are my school uniforms (which, by the way, my parents bought for me). Does anyone know if it's legal for a public school to require uniforms?  
  
Warnings: Sesshoumaru goes back to his usual self.... well..... sort of.  
  
Please enjoy and don't forget to R/R!!  
  
***********************************  
  
And I Thought My Family Was Weird  
  
Chapter 3: Emotional Constipation Again  
  
***********************************  
  
Poor Jaken just could not find a hiding space good enough to hide him from the "horrible demon children," known to all others as Shippo and Chibi-Chibi. If he was from modern times, he would have wondered if they had put a tracking device on him. Since he is not from modern times, however, he could only wonder at their amazing bloodhound abilities.  
  
Jaken groaned as the "horrible demon children" found him and began to decorate him with flowers. 'I should have listened to my parents and become a ferryman.'  
  
******************************  
  
Sesshoumaru awoke to the sound of light breathing. At first he did not realize where he was, but then he looked down at Usagi's relaxed face. He even smiled, but we all know that he will deny that fact to his grave. 'I will protect you from everything that threatens you,' he swore silently to her. She would not know of this promise, but she did not need to know. As long as Sesshoumaru had breath, she would be safe. Why worry her with minute details? She would protest; this Sesshoumaru knew. Usagi was a very independent person and wished to be no hindrance and cause no inconvenience to others. 'It's no inconvenience at all,' he silently told her peaceful form. 'I'm only happy as long as you are happy.'  
  
Sesshoumaru stood up suddenly. 'What am I thinking? This is a human. Yes, she saved Chibi-Chibi, but she is still a human. She is weak, and I am weak for wanting to be with her.' He gave her a final glance and walked out of the one-room hut.  
  
"Chibi-Chibi," he called. A silver and white blur whizzed by and attached itself to his leg.  
  
"Hai!" Chibi-Chibi beamed up at him. "Usagi-kaasan?" she inquired.  
  
Sesshoumaru felt guilty for a moment, but he quickly brushed it away. "We're leaving." Chibi-Chibi's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to say something, but Sesshoumaru cut her off. "No buts, Chibi-Chibi. Come, Jaken." With that, he picked up Chibi-Chibi and glided away. (AN: I read in an IY story somewhere – can't remember which one! – that Sesshoumaru "doesn't walk – he glides." ^^ I'm just borrowing that thought here.)  
  
Miroku scratched his head. "Well, that's something you don't see everyday. A taiyoukai running from a human woman with a human child." While deep in thought, he absently began to act like himself, which earned him a large lump on his head courtesy of Sango. He sighed. 'Well, I tried.' Miroku thought this every single time he got whacked for groping. Needless to say, he thought this quite often.  
  
Kagome looked in the direction Sesshoumaru had vanished with Chibi-Chibi. She sighed and turned to her companions. "What are we going to tell Usagi and Shippo?"   
  
Sango groaned as she realized what had just happened. "This is not going to be fun... I'm gonna kill Sesshoumaru the next time I see him!"  
  
Kagome sighed in agreement and added, "Can I help you?"  
  
Sango smirked. "Sure, it's nice to have help with something that's going to take a few days." (AN: That came from a David Eddings book.)  
  
Miroku did not say anything; he just shuddered at what they were implicating.  
  
******************************  
  
Usagi began to sweat profusely again. As she once again succumbed to total darkness, she realized that something was different; something was wrong. 'I feel as if I'll never be happy again...' (AN: There is a difference between being asleep and being unconscious. She was just asleep before; now she's slipping into unconsciousness.) With one last thought, she slipped away entirely and drifted back into her nightmares.  
  
'Sesshoumaru..... Why?'  
  
******************************  
  
Taitsukun smirked while Sailor Pluto sighed and handed her a strange object. (AN: What did Pluto give her? That will forever remain a mystery. ~___^ ) "I told you that there would be problems. It's different than what happened between Tamahome and Miaka but very similar at the same time."  
  
Sailor Pluto scowled at her. "And how exactly did you know this?"  
  
Taitsukun replied, "The Fates will require them to have trials in order to prove their love. There's also the fact that the Fates don't have a life...."  
  
The Nyan-Nyans chose that moment to interrupt. "We can make you as pretty as your friend, Taitsukun!"  
  
"Gah! Die, you stupid– "  
  
"Yaaaahhhhhh!"  
  
Watching from their mirror, the Fates looked at what Taitsukun was doing to the Nyan-Nyans. "Ooh!" cried Present, "this is better than watching the Pacifist (Ririna Peacecrap) screech and chase after the Perfect Soldier (Hiiro Yui)!" The other two quickly joined her at looking through the mirror. Laughter resounded through their domain.  
  
*******************************  
  
Chibi-Chibi was still crying. 'Kuso, does that human mean so much to her?' Sesshoumaru inwardly scowled. 'She's just a human girl, not anything special. So why do I miss her so much? What is this emotion?' He mentally shook his head. 'I'm just getting soft. It started with this human girl, who was initially just an experiment for Tenseiga. And now I'm feeling an unknown emotion, for a human no less. Why can't I just get her out of my head?'  
  
Jaken was the only person, human or otherwise, that was truly happy for leaving. 'No more flowers, no more women's kimonos, no more Monkey in the Middle, no more.....' His list went on for quite awhile. He did not finish it for another five miles. Sesshoumaru was privately delighted that Jaken was being quiet for once. Chibi-Chibi did not even notice. She was still curled up in Sesshoumaru's arms and crying. As the minutes passed by, however, she slowly fell asleep.  
  
With Jaken's silence and Chibi-Chibi's exhaustion, Sesshoumaru was actually able to think without interruption for the first time in a long while. 'That girl was somehow different from all others. She did not seem to be human, but she was definitely not youkai. So what is she? I will have to research this when I get back to my castle. Perhaps I could have some of my more literate servants help as well.' He thought for a moment. 'I could ask Chibi-chan to tell me, but I don't think she would. I'm not on the top of her list of favorite people right at this moment...'  
  
'I might as well pick up the pace. It will take several days to reach the Western Lands moving like this.'  
  
******************************  
  
Kaede frowned darkly. "There is something wrong here, Kagome," she told the young miko sitting next to her. They were checking on Usagi. "She was getting better, but now she is only worse. Can ye think of anything that has changed?"  
  
Kagome stared at nothing. "It's Sesshoumaru... He's gone."  
  
"'Gone,' ye say?" Kagome nodded. Kaede had been helping another village when Sesshoumaru made his grand exit. Kaede sighed. "Then it is true. It was his presence that healed her wounds earlier. And now she plagued by fever and nightmares. What can we do?"  
  
Kagome looked up. "I'll ask Inu-Yasha. After all, Sesshoumaru is his half-brother. If it's not a personal thing with Sesshoumaru, then maybe Kouga will know if it's a demonic problem."  
  
Kaede nodded in agreement. "Do as ye think best, Kagome. Ye might wish to have a backup plan, however. You know how stubborn those two can get." Kagome agreed.  
  
******************************  
  
"So it's because Sesshoumaru doesn't like humans. But then why does he take care of Chibi-chan? Isn't she human as well?"  
  
Inu-Yasha sighed. "It's very complicated, Kagome. Our father was labeled as weak and unstable because of my mother. Sesshoumaru won't want to 'dishonor' the family name anymore. Chibi-Chibi helped him – or tried to, anyway. Sesshoumaru took care of her and let her travel with him because of that. Usagi-san saved her life when Sesshoumaru couldn't, so he paid her back by bringing her here. He's trying to reassure himself that his attachment to her is only because of Chibi-Chibi."  
  
Sango looked thoughtful. "So if we tell Sesshoumaru that Usagi-san is not well yet, then he will come back. Or better yet, he will take her to his castle in the Western Lands."   
  
Miroku began to catch on. "Because his debt will not be paid until Usagi-san is completely well!"  
  
They all grinned and began to scheme how to get Sesshoumaru to see that it was alright to fall in love with a human. Of course, the readers know that Usagi is not human, but what people don't know....  
  
*****************************  
  
~~~~~~ Meanwhile, back in the Senshi Dimension.....~~~~~~  
  
"Gah! Where is that odango atama!"  
  
"Calm down, Rei."  
  
"You want CALM, Ami? I'll give you calm!" Rei was practically tearing her hair out. "It's been nearly three weeks! And you try to tell ME to be CALM!"  
  
Seiya groaned. 'Kakyuu-hime told me to wait awhile before coming to see her after Endymion no baka broke up with her, but noooo, I just had to come right away! And now she's gone.....'   
  
Seiya snapped to attention when he heard Haruka scream, "It's all your fault!" at Mamoru.   
  
Mamoru looked as though he had been slapped. "How was I to know that she would disappear? Anyways, I don't know how you thought I would put up with that bubblehead for the rest of eternity. (AN: I got "bubblehead" from CLAMP's Wish.) Minako looked murderous. She had to be restrained by Hotaru and Ami.  
  
Setsuna was very amused. Usagi was in danger, certainly, but she had confidence in Sesshoumaru. 'Sesshoumaru may pretend not to care right now, but his instincts will overpower everything else when he finds out that she is still very sick. That's one bet with Taitsukun that I know I will win. I'll put Aphrodite to work on it if nothing else, because there is no way I am going to keep the Nyan-Nyans for a week!' (AN: One of the terms of their bet. ^^ Yes, I am evil.)  
  
Setsuna chose then to interrupt. "I hate to break this up – I know how much fun all of you are having – but if it would make any of you feel better, then I will search for Usagi-hime from the Gates of Time."  
  
She was answered with the chirping of crickets, then, "Well, what are you waiting for? Why didn't you mention this sooner!" Haruka was NOT happy, to say the least.  
  
The Fates began to laugh their butts off.  
  
******************************  
  
This is only about four lines shorter than my last chapter if you don't count my beginning and ending notes. I hoped everyone enjoyed.   
  
Hey! at least I got this out a lot faster than usual!  
  
Love and PEACE!! (Yes, I'm still watching Trigun.)  
  
Koneko  
  
What is this world made of? Love and PEACE! WHAT WAS THAT?!! I can't hear you! :p 


	5. The Battle That Rages Within

I've revised the prologue through chapter three slightly. It's more like I've re-edited. The changes will affect Complicated more. Thanks to all who reviewed, and Lizzi had better not wait for a threat this time. *glare*  
  
Disclaimer: Now honestly, if I owned either Sailor Moon or Inu-Yasha, would I be writing a disclaimer with lawyers breathing down my neck? If you think so, maybe you should see my current psychiatrist; he's the best one I've had so far. ^^ Oh, and I don't own Taitsukun from Fushigi Yuugi.  
  
Warnings: Slight angst and not much action. It's a bit rushed, but it's better than nothing, right? *crickets* RIGHT?  
  
Enjoy, and don't forget to R/R!!  
  
*********************************  
  
And I Thought My Family Was Weird  
  
Chapter 4: The Battle that Rages Within   
  
**********************************  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chibi-Chibi ran into Usagi's room. There was a storm outside, and Chibi-Chibi did not like thunder. She did not really mind the lightning, but loud, sudden noises always frightened her. Usagi was murmuring a poem under her breath; she repeated it every night before sleeping. Usagi finished and turned toward the doorway and Chibi-Chibi. She smiled and immediately opened her covers to welcome Chibi-Chibi in.  
  
Chibi-Chibi hurtled herself on Usagi's bed and into her welcoming arms. Chibi-Chibi glanced up at Usagi questioningly. Usagi seemed to understand why, because she sighed and answered, "I've put off telling you for too long. Chibi-Chibi, I'm worried about the future."  
  
"Chibi?" she questioned.  
  
Usagi sighed again. "I'm sick, Chibi-chan. I have a form of heart cancer." She sniffed a bit, and Chibi-Chibi realized that Usagi was crying. "I'm not afraid of death itself, Chibi-chan. I'm afraid of dying before you are given a chance to live or leaving you and Chibi-Usa motherless."  
  
Chibi-Chibi began crying as well. Usagi gave her a weak smile. "Don't worry, Chibi-Chibi; I'm not in the ground yet. Maybe they'll find a new treatment. Maybe we'll be blessed with a miracle of some kind."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~End Dream~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chibi-Chibi woke up breathing heavily. After realizing what her dream was a memory of, she raced to Sesshoumaru's room. Sesshoumaru was sitting at the window sill and watching the waxing moon. He turned when Chibi-Chibi entered his room.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Usagi-chan."  
  
"No, Chibi-chan."  
  
"She gonna die."  
  
Sesshoumaru's head snapped up. "Nani?"  
  
"She sick. She told Chibi-Chibi long time ago. Sick kill Usagi-kaasan and take her away from Chibi."   
  
Sesshoumaru turned back around to look at the moon again. "Get some sleep, Chibi-chan. We will leave at first light." He was startled when she ran up to him and hugged his leg. She smiled up at him, turned around, and left. Sesshoumaru frowned. 'She's sick? I thought something smelled wrong, but I figured it was from her earlier head injury. There must be something I can do....' His thoughts trailed off before he quickly added, 'For Chibi-chan's sake.'  
  
************At the Same Time********************  
  
Usagi began to sweat even more profusely, causing Kaede to frown. Kagome walked back into the hut after giving an update to the others. "Any change, Kaede?"  
  
"Only for the worse, Kagome. Was Inu-Yasha going to retrieve Sesshoumaru?"  
  
"Yeah, he and Kouga just left."  
  
"Do ye think it wise to send them together and unsupervised?"  
  
"I told them both to behave before they left. I believe that if they both show up in one piece then Sesshoumaru will know it's serious."  
  
"Let us pray that they can keep from killing each other."  
  
Kagome sighed. "I'm always praying about that, Kaede, always."  
  
****************************  
  
Sesshoumaru frowned in the early morning light. He could smell his hanyou half-brother and the weak wolf youkai. Their scent told him that they were worried about something. Sesshoumaru's dark look grew. 'What now?'  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kouga landed in front of Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru!" Inu-Yasha bellowed. Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow, showing that he was listening. "You have to come now!"  
  
"And why is that, little brother?"  
  
Kouga decided to speak up. "Because Usagi-san is dying!" Sesshoumaru heard Chibi-Chibi's gasp of horror. "She hasn't woken up yet, and her fever has only gotten worse with every minute that passes by."  
  
Inu-Yasha added, "Something in her environment changed – YOU. She was doing fine until you left. You were healing her somehow."  
  
"But now she's much worse than when she was first injured," Kouga finished. "If we don't hurry, we'll be arriving in time to see her funeral."  
  
Sesshoumaru did not need to hear anymore.  
  
*****************************  
  
Kagome suddenly stiffened, causing Sango, Miroku, and Shippo to look at her sharply. "What is it, Kagome-chan?" Sango inquired.  
  
"I'm sensing a lot of jewel shards heading for us very quickly. It must be Naraku!"  
  
As she said this, a dark cloud covered the sun and sinister laughter could be heard. "You are only too correct, Kagome. With the two youkai and the hanyou gone, this will be easy."  
  
"We'll never give you the jewel shards, Naraku!"  
  
"Oh, but it's not the jewel shards I'm after – not this time. You see, I have something else in mind." His toxic miasma filled the area, and everyone began to choke and cough. Naraku disappeared for a moment, only to reappear with Usagi in his arms.  
  
"Usagi-san!" Kagome exclaimed. "Naraku, leave her be! She has done nothing to you!"  
  
"Ah, but she must still pay. She will be excellent leverage against Sesshoumaru, and I doubt that Inu-Yasha or the wolf would attack me with her life in my hands."  
  
"You sick –"  
  
"Language, Kagome," he chided. "Now I really must be going. We will meet again one last time. You can count on it..." With that, Naraku disappeared. Usagi was gone.  
  
************************  
  
Usagi's dreams were plagued by memories of her past lives. She saw her death on the moon; Endymion had run her through with his sword. Despite the gloomy setting, Usagi smirked. Before dying, she had killed Endymion using the Artemis no Ken. The poison had spread through him rapidly, causing a swift if painful death.   
  
Usagi could not help but think, however, that she was forgetting something from her past life. Something major seemed to be missing. She did not feel that during the seige, but there were certain moments that she was sure were missing, or something was missing from them. It was extremely frustrating, and Usagi's patience was beginning to run very thin.  
  
The ruins of the Moon Kingdom faded away, and Usagi was looking at a forest. 'What's this,' she thought. 'This place seems a bit familiar, but –' Her thoughts were cut off when she saw a flash of white through the trees.  
  
The white blur came to a stop in a meadow. Usagi let out a gasp. 'Sesshoumaru...' There, in all of his glory, was the Lord of the Western Lands. Inu-Yasha and Kouga soon followed. 'Why are they all traveling together?' Kouga opened his mouth to say something, but Usagi never heard what it was.   
  
There was a pain like she had never felt before. She was back in the original dark void, and it seemed like evil was pushing at her from every direction like she was enveloped in it. 'Wait, I can sense – what were they called? – Shikon Shards. Could it be that evil guy Naraku? It seems like it could be him; there's definitely enough evil aura here.' With these last thoughts, Usagi lost all consciousness within her mind and succumbed to the darknesss.  
  
************************  
  
Sesshoumaru was running through the forest, and Inu-Yasha and Kouga were right behind him. Sesshoumaru was carrying Chibi-Chibi; Jaken had decided not to come, and Sesshoumaru was much faster than Ah-Un anyway. Sesshoumaru exited the forest and entered a meadow; he then stopped. He sensed Kouga and Inu-Yasha halt behind him. "Why are we stopping?" Kouga demanded. "Her life may depend on how fast we get there!"  
  
His answer came from the sky. Wind blew around them, and Inu-Yasha shouted, "It's Kagura!"   
  
'The Wind Sorceress?' Sesshoumaru thought. 'This would ordinarily be very interesting, but I'm in a hurry. I can either ignore her and race ahead, or I can destroy her now. Going directly to the village will endanger Usagi, but Chibi-Chibi will be safer there. Decisions, decisions.'  
  
In the end, Sesshoumaru's decision was made for him. Kagura trapped them in a mixture of cutting wind and toxic miasma. The youkai could survive, but Chibi-Chibi would not be able to live in the darkness for long. So they would fight while Usagi's life dwindled away.  
  
****************************  
  
Naraku glared at the dark entity in the corner of the room. "And why do you want this girl? I could have just as easily taken Kagome or the kitsune."  
  
"It is her connection to Sesshoumaru that makes her useful to her, but I need her for another reason. She is very important in the scheme of things. I have not figured out the full extent of her powers, but she is extremely powerful from what I already know. Endymion was a fool who didn't know how to handle her; I won't make the same mistakes."  
  
"Who is this 'Endymion?'"  
  
"A fool," the nameless voice said with a tone of finality.  
  
*****************************  
  
Kagura was actually holding her own against the two youkai and the hanyou, but she suddenly stopped, pulled the feather from her hair, and flew away. They all blinked up at her in disbelief – well, Inu-Yasha and Kouga did. Sesshoumaru just looked extremely peeved. "What was that all about?" Kouga asked.  
  
Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to say something, but Sesshoumaru cut him off. "It was a distraction, fools."  
  
"A distraction from what?" Sesshoumaru did not answer his half-brother. Instead he picked up Chibi-Chibi and took off again. The other two blinked before they realized that they had been left behind. After this fact had sunk in, they joined Sesshoumaru in a race against time. Kagura had left; that could only mean one thing.  
  
They were already too late.  
  
*****************************  
  
Kagome just could not stop crying. 'It's all my fault! I should have shot him full of arrows, even with the miasma! What stopped me?' Sango and Miroku were thinking along similar lines.  
  
Shippo broke their mourning. "They're here." The other three gulped. Sesshoumaru was back. This day was just getting better and better.  
  
Sesshoumaru landed in front of Kagome. Much to everyone's surprise, he asked softly, "He took her?" Kagome could merely nod.  
  
"W-we just couldn't move for some reason. It was as if our bodies just didn't want to retaliate. I could have broken through the miasma with my arrows, but..." she trailed off.  
  
Inu-Yasha walked up to Kagome and, much to her surprise, embraced her. "It wasn't your fault, Kagome," he murmured into her hair. Kagome blushed but made no move to push him away.  
  
Miroku grinned and enveloped Sango in a similar hug. Much to her surprise, he did not put his hand anywhere inappropriate. Bracing himself for a blow, Miroku was very shocked when she wrapped her arms around him as well. He tentatively squeezed her; it was light at first but soon became fierce. "Don't worry," he said softly. "Naraku will die."  
  
****************************  
  
"Typical," Taitsukun scoffed.  
  
"Pardon?" Sailor Pluto questioned.  
  
"There's always a bit of the past left unfinished that must be cleaned up. The Fates do the same thing every single time. The fact that they're messing with Cosmos has no effect on them. They'll do the same thing every time."  
  
"Let's just hope that they'll give her a happy ending as well."  
  
"They will," Taitsukun replied with confidence.  
  
"If you say so." Pluto's voice, however, was dubious.  
  
******************************  
  
Haruka did not like the arrangements they had made earlier. Setsuna had said she would look for Koneko-chan, but she had been gone for hours. 'What's taking her so long? Surely there aren't that many dimensions to look through!'  
  
Michiru seemed to sense her partner's impatience. "Don't worry, Haruka," she said soothingly. "Setsuna said she would find Usagi, so don't worry about it. Has she ever failed us?"  
  
Haruka opened her mouth to reply, but the doorbell rang. 'Saved by the bell,' Michiru thought with amusement. She opened the door and blinked. "Chibi-Usa?"  
  
*******************************  
  
Well, that's it for Chapter Four. Hope y'all enjoyed!! And please R/R!!  
  
Wuv always,  
  
Koneko 


	6. Gone Again

Okay, I know this is extremely short and not much happens, but at least I actually wrote it and typed it out. = p So there. You know what to do; please R/R!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or Sailor Moon. I don't own the cameos from Fushigi Yuugi either. You don't need to understand Fushigi Yuugi, but I think I spoiled a few things for it. So if you're in the middle of watching Fushigi Yuugi, you may want to skip the end of this chapter.  
  
Luv ya all!!  
  
********************************  
  
And I Thought My Family Was Weird  
  
Chapter 5: Gone Again  
  
********************************  
  
Sesshoumaru walked in a daze; Kagome thought it was a miracle that he had not run into a tree yet. She figured it would not be too much longer. After coming back to the village and asking about Usagi, he stumbled into the one-room hut she had occupied earlier. Sesshoumaru had then stared into space for about twenty minutes; it was afterwards that he had begun his dazed walk.  
  
"Sesshoumaru," an irritated Inu-Yasha orated, "quit moping around and do something!" Sesshoumaru grunted in response. "Is this really doing Usagi-san any good? You act like she's dead and buried already!"  
  
Sesshoumaru faded and blinked back into existence in front of his younger half-brother, who started in surprise. "Do you honestly believe that I have not considered her safety?" Sesshoumaru growled. "If I move so much as an inch before Naraku makes his demands known, he will not hesitate in killing her, and then he will come after Chibi-Chibi for leverage." Inu-Yasha's mouth opened and closed several times, showing his shock. 'He is speechless,' Sesshoumaru thought. 'This is an improvement for the atmosphere here.'  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama is correct, Inu-Yasha," Kaede inserted. "Usagi-san's life depends on our actions. Ye must be wary." Everyone nodded in agreement except Sesshoumaru; he began his walk to nowhere again.  
  
******  
  
"I don't get it!" Inu-Yasha burst the next day. "What's Naraku waiting for?"  
  
Kagome frowned uncertainly. "I don't know," she answered slowly. "Usually Naraku is only too happy to let us know what he wants."  
  
"Yes," Miroku added, "it is highly unusual."  
  
"Wait a minute," Sango interrupted. "Where are Shippo and Chibi-Chibi?" Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by two distinct screams coming from the forest.  
  
******Thirty Minutes Earlier******  
  
While everyone was arguing, Shippo nudged Chibi-Chibi and inclined his head toward Inu-Yasha's Forest. She smiled and nodded. They had been looking for an opportunity to slip away and search for Usagi. Both Shippo and Chibi-Chibi had faced enemies before, so why was Naraku any different?  
  
After quite a bit of walking, both children began to get hungry. They only then realized how lost they had gotten. "Chibi-Chibi, I think we should just retrace our steps," Shippo said nervously. Chibi-Chibi nodded and turned around to head back; it was only a split second before she screamed. Shippo whirled around only to let out his own shriek when faced with Naraku. Then they both saw nothing but black.  
  
************  
  
Shippo let out a groan as he regained consciousness. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes before realizing where he was. 'This can only be Naraku's castle!' he thought with dismay.  
  
Chibi-Chibi was awake as well. Instead of being frightened, however, she seemed to be elated. She noticed Shippo was awake and exclaimed, "Usagi-chan!" Shippo surveyed the room quickly with startled eyes and with glee noticed the other person huddled in the far corner, for indeed it was Usagi.  
  
Usagi sat up and noted that Shippo had finally awoken. She gave him a weak smile, and Shippo immediately saw that Naraku had not been very kind to her. Long scratches and dark purple bruises covered her arms and legs but did not mar any portion of her face for an unknown reason; Naraku probably wanted her to be recognizable to Sesshoumaru. However, her lips were parched and cracked, and she was extremely thin and white. 'He's only had her for a day!' Shippo recalled, mortified. 'Naraku won't have a voice to scream with after Sesshoumaru gets a hold of him!'  
  
"Usagi," he asked anxiously, "are you going to be alright?"'  
  
She smiled sadly and whispered softly, "I'll never be alright, Shippo. Even if Sesshoumaru comes to retrieve me, which I would doubt if Chibi-Chibi wasn't here, I will still die. I'm very sick, Shippo." She then began to explain her disease to him. Afterwards, he jumped into her arms and began to cry.  
  
************  
  
Michiru stared in shock at the future princess standing in the doorway. "Michiru," she gasped as if she had run a long way, "I need you to call a senshi meeting right now!"  
  
"Chibi-Usa, your hair..." Michiru trailed off. "It's silver now!"  
  
"That's the least of our worries," Chibi-Usa snapped. "Chibi-Chibi is missing!"  
  
"What?" Michiru exclaimed in shock. "Usagi is missing as well!"  
  
Chibi-Usa blinked in surprise. "What?" she unconsciously echoed Michiru's earlier exclamation. "This isn't happening... It can't be. Lunarian royals don't just disappear into thin air and without warning."  
  
"Setsuna, Rei, and Ami are working on it," Michiru informed her firmly. "Right now you need to worry about making the spaghetti I've cooked disappear."  
  
************  
  
Seiryuu smirked. "You owe me now, Suzaku," he informed the fiery haired southern god. "I told you that Naraku would kidnap those two children."  
  
"We are even, my blue-haired brother; I told you that Cosmos-sama would tell the kitsune about her disease." Suzaku grinned like a maniac.  
  
"Those two are worse than Pluto and the hag," Byakko remarked dryly to Genbuu. "At least they are only betting with ancient artifacts. Suzaku and Seiryuu, on the other hand, are betting with their seishi. Seiryuu has already lost Amiboshi in every sense that counts, and Suzaku has lost Nuriko."  
  
"Do you think that they will eventually put who gets summoned first on the table?" Genbuu questioned.  
  
"How much you wanna bet?"  
  
************************  
  
It's short, but at least it's out. ^^ I went to Natchez, Mississippi, this weekend to stay in a cabin and go hiking and stuff. -_- Family bonding time and my little sister's birthday. What could be more fun?? u.u 


	7. 911 Emergency

Hey, I'm ba-ack! Yet again. ^^ Don't y'all just luv me? Sorry it took so long. u,u  
  
Disclaimer: Do I act like an incredibly famous multi-billionaire? No? Then I suppose that I don't own Inu-Yasha or Sailor Moon. Darn it.  
  
Warnings: Angst and mush ahead, so beware. And no, Usagi and Sesshoumaru don't meet again this chapter. *winces* Gomen! Don't hurt me! *cowers*  
  
  
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_And I Thought My Family Was Weird_  
  
Chapter 6: 911 Emergency  
  
************************  
  
The inner senshi had raced to the outer's mansion just outside Tokyo as soon as Setsuna had contacted them about the arrival of Chibi-Usa and the missing Chibi-Chibi (she **accidentally** forgot to call Mamoru and Seiya). While they were discussing the latest developments, arguments -- I mean, heated discussions -- broke out (as usual).  
  
"We wouldn't be in this predicament if Mamoru and Seiya hadn't been such pathetic idiotic excuses for men!" Haruka roared.  
  
Rei was seeing red. "We will still need their help," she insisted. "And that's that!"  
  
"No," Haruka argued, "that is _not_ that. What if she sees them and decides to run again?"  
  
"Again?" Rei spat. "She didn't run to begin with. Weren't you listening? She must've known that Chibi-Chibi was missing and went after her!"  
  
"How do you know it's not the other way around, and Chibi-Chibi somehow knew that Usagi was leaving and followed her?" Michiru questioned while closing her eyes.  
  
"This is pointless," Setsuna interjected. "We would not do Usagi-hime any good right now anyways, so why are we arguing? She is going to stay where she is for the time being. Don't worry; I will inform you before she gets married if she decides to stay there."  
  
Everyone blinked before chorusing in horror, "_Married?!_"  
  
  
***********  
  
  
Shippo moaned softly as Usagi shifted on the floor of their prison cell; he had fallen asleep under her left arm while Chibi-Chibi was on her lap.  
  
Usagi's head snapped up as she heard the door squeaking open. "You must be Naraku," she growled dangerously. "What do you want now?"  
  
Naraku stepped into the extremely dim light; he was disguised in Tatewaki's form instead of in the baboon suit. "I want some information."  
  
"Ask away, but there's no guarantee that I'll answer."  
  
Naraku smirked and replied, "Fair enough." He glanced around the room. "But before that, would you like to be moved to more comfortable quarters? You don't look like the type that could escape from a castle as protected as this one is."  
  
Usagi glanced down at the two children in her arms before looking him in the eye. "Only because of them." Naraku nodded and led her out of the room.  
  
Naraku led her to an extravagant room with expensive carpets and silk pillows. Usagi blinked. "'More comfortable'?" she quoted him. "I can't imagine what would an actual guest's room look like."  
  
He smirked again. "I've never had a guest that came for a reason other than my death. Now don't you agree with me when I say that it becomes rather depressing after awhile?"  
  
"Not really," she replied breezily. "I do believe you have offended nearly everyone in the country and a few beyond. That's not depressing; it's pathetic."  
  
Naraku replied with a mocking sigh before composing himself again. "Ah well. Now, are you willing to answer my questions?" Usagi nodded. "Do you know anyone named 'Endymion'?"  
  
Usagi blinked and replied hesitantly, "Maybe. First tell me why you want to know."  
  
"The man who hired me mentioned that he was an idiot."  
  
"Yes, I know him, and no, he is not an idiot; that would be an insult to all the other idiots in the universe. What else was there that you needed to know?"  
  
"Do you know any dark, mysterious figures that would have known him?" Usagi sweatdropped and shrugged her shoulders uncertainly. "Oh well. That is all for now. Have a pleasant evening."  
  
Usagi frowned as his retreating back. 'What was that about?'  
  
  
************  
  
  
Myoga came hopping up to Inu-Yasha and Company. "My lord!" he gasped. "I have discovered where Naraku has taken Usagi-sama, Shippo-chan, and Chibi-chan!"  
  
Sesshoumaru had the flea youkai between his forefinger and thumb before anyone else could react. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" the flea choked. "What is--"  
  
"Where?" he cut in coldly.  
  
"Follow me!" Myoga slipped out of Sesshoumaru's grasp and hopped into the foliage with everyone else hot on his heels. (AN: Do fleas have heels? -_-*)  
  
  
************  
  
  
Naraku found his capative to be... fascinating. She had managed to capture the attention of both his mysterious benefactor and Sesshoumaru. He had caught a glimpse of the reason she held their attention -- she had spirit that Naraku had not seen in a long time, especially in a woman. Kikyo had allowed herself to be tainted, and Kagome was not in complete control of her powers. Kagura, his own incarnation, lacked common sense. Usagi, however, held a strong power and knew how to control it; she also somehow held a pure heart, as he had witnessed with her actions and reactions toward the children. There was a pull towards her that he had never felt before.  
  
'If I wasn't under strict orders, I would enjoy trying to break her. Mr. Somethingisrequiringmetobecompletelymysterious made it clear that I keep her exactly as I found her, better even. Maybe when he's done with her...'  
  
Naraku's sinister and slightly perverted thoughts were interrupted by (AN: Yup! you guessed it!) a scream coming from the general direction of his prisoners' room. There was a lapse in silence and another scream.  
  
  
************  
  
  
Shippo awakened to the sound of low moaning. He looked up at Usagi and gasped. "U-Usagi-chan?" he stuttered. "A-Are you alright?"  
  
Usagi slowly opened her eyes. "Shippo?" She closed and opened them again; someone from the twenty-first century would have called it "slow motion," but Shippo had nothing to compare it to. "I... I don't think... that I'm going to be alive... much longer. Promise..." She coughed. "Promise me that you'll make sure Chibi-Chibi gets back to Sesshoumaru."  
  
"Usagi," Shippo murmured. He straightened himself to his full height. "You have my word, Usagi-neechan."  
  
"And tell him... that I'm sorry I... couldn't keep her safe." Usagi coughed a bit, and then she closed her eyes and breathed her last.  
  
The commotion had woken up Chibi-Chibi. She began to shake Usagi as if to wake her. She began to shake her harder. "Usagi-mama?" she questioned before she screamed bloody murder.   
  
Then, before Shippo's eyes, she began to fade out of existence. "Chibi-Chibi!" he cried. "No!"  
  
  
************  
  
  
Sesshoumaru halted causing Inu-Yasha to bump into him with Kagome on his back. It was not the impact, however, that made him fall over. It was the pain in his heart. "Usagi..." he whispered in disbelief. "She's gone..." Then another attack hit him, and his eyes widened even more than they had. "No, not Chibi-Chibi too... Masaka..."  
  
  
************  
  
  
Setsuna's eyes widened until Minako thought that they would come out of their sockets. "Setsuna?" Haruka questioned. "What's wrong. Hotaru?" The senshi of death had also gone pale and was gasping for breath.  
  
"Minna!" Chibi-Usa shouted. (AN: I'm running out of verbs to use here. Does anyone have any suggestions?)  
  
"What the--" Chibi-Usa began to disappear. Everyone made a jump for her, but she slipped through their fingers.  
  
"Setsuna, what's going on?" Rei inquired while shaking.  
  
"It has begun," she whispered. "Now the true test begins."  
  
  
************  
  
  
Taitsukun cackled evilly while the four gods all duked money over to her. "How did you figure _that_ out?" Byakko demanded.  
  
She smirked and responded, "Simple -- the Fates _always_ do things like that. I knew that she would still die, but don't worry -- she is not down for the count. Don't eliminate her from the game yet." The only response she received consisted of blank looks. "What? Don't any of you watch wrestling?"  
  
  
************************  
  
  
Well, it **is** longer than my last chapter. ^^ I hoped y'all enjoyed!  
  
Koneko 


	8. Tell Me a Story, Give Me a Cookie

Well, I **did** have all this typed (well, most of it). We wiped our computer clean, so I backed up my new stuff on a floppy.... 'Nuff said, methinks.  
  
I just wanna thank everyone that's been there for me. I know there are some specific peepz I need to thank, but ya'll are lucky you're getting the chapter. u.u So thanks to everyone I need to thank, and we'll just leave it at that.   
  
Disclaimer: looks at pathetic piece o'crap that some call a computer I think that I would have something better to work with if I owned _Sailor Moon_ and _Inu-Yasha_. I'll accept Sesshoumaru if anyone is willing to give him away tho. I also don't own _Fushigi Yuugi_ or _XXX Holic_. I **think** I spelled Yuko's worker's name right, but that's just what popped into my head. For those that don't know, she's the owner of a shop that grants wishes. The price for the wish is great, but it's never more than the person can pay. However, it is the most important thing to them.  
  
Warnings: Uh, things are kinda explained in this chapter, but there are a few cliches, so watch out for those. I was too hard-pressed to come up with something more original. Aren't SM/IY fics original enough as it is?

* * *

_And I Thought My Family Was Wierd_  
  
Chapter 7: Tell Me a Story, Give Me a Cookie

* * *

Usagi groaned as she opened her eyes, expecting to see Shippo's worried face with Chibi-Chibi next to him. She instead saw a blank emptiness that seemingly stretched on forever. Three hooded figures appeared out of the nothingness.  
  
The figure on the right intoned, "You must not interfere with the happenings of that time. You will change their destined future for the worse."  
  
The one in the middle spoke, "As things stand now, all is going according to plan. For now, you have no need to worry about your friends."  
  
The one on the left then added, "It works out for the best this way. There are things in your past that you must know--"  
  
"--or the future will never happen," the first figure finished.  
  
Usagi sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to be so mysterious, you know. I can tell who you are, Fates."  
  
The middle figure took off her hood. "You take away all our fun!" she whined. "We don't get to appear before mortals very often. Couldn't you just let us entertain ourselves for awhile?" The other two also removed their hoods to reveal Future and Past.  
  
Usagi glared at her. "What was this about my past?"  
  
Past glanced at her sisters. "Perhaps I had better handle this." Her sisters nodded at her, and she continued, "You never believed what your mother told you about your past, did you." It was not a question. "Well, it's a long story, so you might want to sit down." Usagi merely glanced up at her from her spot on the floor; she had never gotten up to begin with. Past laughed nervously. "Well..."

* * *

_Sesshoumaru's boots clicked against the smooth, shiny floor as he walked down the hall in the Moon Palace. He understood why the four taiyoukai wanted to form an alliance with this kingdom before the ningen did, but why did he have to be the youkai to actually come to the moon and offer his own hand in marriage to some princess? Sesshoumaru had always known that his mate would be decided for him, but he had expected to be mated to someone that actually lived on the same planet.  
  
Sesshoumaru reached the doors to the legendary gardens of the Moon Palace. He walked down the path to the training dojo, which he had been surprised to discover was on the pacifistic moon. He reached it only to hear grunts coming from inside. He waited.  
  
The movements inside stopped after a few moments, and a voice asked, "Tired already?"  
  
A musical voice answered, "Not really, but Mother wants us to be ready for the festivities tonight." Sesshoumaru chose that moment to make himself known.  
  
When he walked into the dojo, two women turned to look at him. One was masculine-looking and had short sandy hair, and the other was petite and had long silver hair that was pulled away from her face. "Hello," the petite one said, "I'm Usagi, and this is Haruka."  
  
Sesshoumaru was shocked by her bluntness. He decided to be straightforward as well. "I am Sesshoumaru, the eldest son of the taiyoukai of the Western Lands. What festivities?"  
  
Haruka laughed and left the room. Usagi rolled her eyes. "It's the princess's birthday. The prince from Earth, Endymion, had the **brilliant** idea of holding a festival in her honor. Idiot," she muttered. Sesshoumaru, much to his surprise, smirked in remembrance of his only meeting with the prince. She was very correct in her opinion of him, and he told her so. Light laughter spread through the dojo..._

* * *

Past finished her narration and looked to Present, who began to finish the tale.  
  
"You and Sesshoumaru spent the festival together as well as many days. It was not until it was time for your decision on whom to marry that he discovered your true identity. However, his father called him back home; his younger brother, Inutaisho, was injured in battle and needed Sesshoumaru's sword, Tenseiga, to heal him. However, because Sesshoumaru was not at the ball, your mother would not permit you two to marry. As you know, everyone was killed that night on the moon. When Sesshoumaru got back only to find your body impaled on Endymion's sword..." Present trailed off. "It wasn't pretty. Because Endymion was also dead, he had assumed that he was the reason that you had killed yourself. However--"  
  
"--Endymion had killed me before he himself died," Usagi finished quietly. She had known that the memories her mother had given her had not been entirely correct, but she had never imagined that she had been this misinformed. Usagi then blinked a few times. "So, Inutaisho was Sesshoumaru's father in this lifetime, but he was his brother last time?"  
  
Past nodded and explained, "After he had found you, Sesshoumaru went back to Earth. He gave his sword, Tenseiga, to Inutaisho. He told him to give the sword to someone who was worthy of it. Then he killed himself." Usagi started crying uncontrollably. "When Inutaisho realized, years later, that his oldest son was the reincarnation of his older brother, he decided to leave Tenseiga to Sesshoumaru when he died. Then he forged Tetsusaiga to give to his younger son, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru, not realizing the importance of Tenseiga, became angry at his father. Well, you can guess what has happened since then."  
  
Usagi nodded and asked, "So when do I get out of here?"  
  
Future smirked. "Now that's a very interesting question with an even more interesting answer..." Usagi groaned in anticipation.

* * *

Naraku was far away by the time Sesshoumaru and Company reached his castle. The taiyoukai himself literally tore walls down trying to find what was his. When he finally came to Shippou's sobbing form and Usagi's still one, his eyes were completely red and his markings were jagged.  
  
Shippou looked up and jumped into Kagome's arms. She held him close while he continued to cry. "What happened," Sesshoumaru growled.  
  
Shippou was shaking. "Usagi wasn't fe-feeling well. Sh-she woke up and w-was coughing really badly. She t-told me to get Chibi-Chibi b-back to you. Bu-but she disappeared al-almost i-immediately after Usagi d-di--" he cut off and began to sob again.  
  
Sesshoumaru's howl filled the night sky.

* * *

Taitsukun cackled evilly as Yuko handed her a coupon for a free wish. Watanuki (AN: I **think** that's his name) was staring at Taitsukun with his jaw on the floor. No one had ever gotten a free wish before!  
  
"What bet did she lose?" Pluto asked as she came through a portal.  
  
"She said that Seiryuu would win the fight against Suzaku. I bet that he wouldn't. They both passed out at the same time." Taitsukun was cracking up by this time. Byakko and Genbuu were sitting on a conjured couch eating popcorn. They had turned Taitsukun's precious wrestling on after Suzaku and Seiryuu had knocked each other out.  
  
Pluto shook her head in exasperation before beginning to laugh as well. "So," Taitsukun smirked as she pulled out a deck of cards, "who wants to play Go Fish?"

* * *

Whew That took forever. I really didn't want to rewrite this, but I did it pretty fast, actually. I **am** working on _Captive_, so that should be out next. Notice the word "should."  
  
Love ya'll!

Koneko


	9. Gravity

Dear Readers,

I am sorry to announce that this story has been discontinued, despite all the love you proclaim for it. My writing style has changed tremendously over the years, and each little edit of this story changed it more and more, until it reached the point that I was writing a different story. That story has been posted, and it is called Gravity. I hope you hall enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. It has the same basic plot as this story but takes a more interesting journey to follow that plot. I have included some excerpts from the first chapter below.

Let me know what you think.

Love always,  
Chibi Koneko

//

She began walking in the direction of Chibi's aura, fighting her way through bushes and brambles. She had a short sword at her side – which, considering her size, was almost a full-length sword for her – but knew better than to use it to cut through the underbrush. She might need a sharp weapon fairly soon, especially considering Chibi's company. Even though _she_ knew that she was supposed to join their little group, this other probably did not. And knowing her future self, Chibi-Chibi would not be any verbal help. All people need love, but Cosmos took that to an extreme after spending so many eons alone. People tend to pick up little girls and kiss them, and the kisses for such a little girl were always a physical representation of that sort of love. Hence the little girl disguise. Besides, who wouldn't trust an essentially mute human child to be honest?

//

He kept the swords' auras tightly confined, knowing that anyone with power would be able to sense them. He did, however, send out his own aura, brushing it slightly against the Other. A primal part of his youki immediately connected with the unknown, and he recognized the power granted to his family by the moon spirit many generations ago.

//

The young woman stood from where she had crouched next to Chibi-Chibi and bowed. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she stated, "my name is Usagi. It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you."

//

Sesshoumaru noticed that Tenseiga's pulse continued it's matching tempo with the woman's heartbeat and was astonished to realize that his own heart was beating in the same rhythm.


End file.
